Dubai: Lufthansa is confident it will retain many of its passengers flying on its Germany-Abu Dhabi service after it cuts the route next year, believing many will fly out from Dubai.
“The distance between the two airports is not too far, there is overlapping catchments,” Tamur Goudarzi-Pour, Vice President Middle East, Africa & Southeast Europe at Lufthansa, told reporters in Dubai this week.
The two airports are 127 kilometres apart — or around an hour and 15 minute drive.
Germany’s, and Europe’s, largest carrier announced last week it will stop flying from Frankfurt to Abu Dhabi in the summer of 2015 because the route is unprofitable due to competition from Middle Eastern carriers.
Abu Dhabi is home to rapidly growing Etihad Airways, which owns nearly 30 per cent of Lufthansa’s German rival Air Berlin. Etihad flies direct to four German cities, including Frankfurt, from Abu Dhabi but also sells tickets to dozens more cities through Air Belin.
Goudarzi-Pour, said Lufthansa is “looking forward to developing the Abu Dhabi market further,” despite axing the route.
“We have good customers in Abu Dhabi,” he said on the sidelines of the Aviation Festival.
